Kent Chan Group
Chan is the Chinese precursor of Japanese Zen Buddhism. We practice Chan meditation.
Kent Chan Group weekly meditation class
Our weekly meditation meetings are held on Thursday evenings at the Bodhicharya UK Buddhist Meditation Centre in Rochester, but also hosted online. Although many of our members are in Kent, as the meetings are also online they are of course open to anyone.
The evening runs from 7.30-9.30pm, and we ask that you please aim to have arrived/connected by at least 7.25pm so that we can start on time.
Please be sure to check the calendar below before attending as there are some evenings when we are unable to host the class.
For those attending in person - the address is Bodhicharya UK Buddhist Meditation Centre, Jackson Recreation Ground, New Road, Rochester ME1 1BD, and we can be found on Google Maps. The Centre is a 12 minute walk from Chatham railway station or 16 minutes from Rochester station. There is also parking on New Road by the steps up to the Centre which is free after 7pm.
For those joining online - simply click the link below and follow the instructions to connect to the meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86119847385
The regular format for our meetings is two 25-30 minute periods of sitting meditation with mindful movement practice (qigong) in between, and we give instructions about how we do those practices. We then have tea, and in the remaining time share a talk or reading on a Buddhist/Chan theme which we follow with a group discussion.
We operate on a drop-in basis, so there's no expectation of people joining every week. Newcomers and beginners are particularly welcome.
For one of our meetings each month, we have an 'extended practice evening' with more of a focus on meditation practice.
Donations - contributions towards the running cost of the Centre are welcome, and on an annual basis we also ask for contributions when renewing our Zoom licence. If you are in position to make a donation towards the Centre running costs, we suggest around £5 per meeting. This can be offered in cash for those attending in person or there are a variety of ways to donate either one-off or on a regular basis. See this link for more details: https://bodhicharya.org/uk/donate/
Kent Chan Group weekly meditation class - meeting schedule
October 2025
- Thursday 2 October - no meeting
- Thursday 9 October - meeting on
- Thursday 16 October - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 23 October - meeting on
- Thursday 30 October - meeting on
November 2025
- Thursday 6 November - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 13 November - meeting on
- Thursday 20 November - no meeting
- Thursday 27 November - meeting on
December 2025
- Thursday 4 December - meeting on (extended practice evening)
- Thursday 11 December - meeting on
- Thursday 18 December - meeting on
Extended six-week Christmas and New Year break until 29 January
January 2026
- Thursday 29 January - meeting on
Kent Chan Group Meditation Day Retreats (in person)
In addition to our online weekly meetings, we also offer the opportunity to meet in person for more extended periods of practice. We meet at the St Benedict's Centre in West Malling, Kent - stbenedictscentre.org and the day runs from 10.00am to 4.30pm.
This year we will also lead an additional day retreat in London.
- Sunday 9th March 2025
- Sunday 8th June 2025
- Sunday 7th September 2025
- Saturday 11th October 2025 - Stuart will be leading an Introduction to Chan day retreat as a guest of Bodhicharya London, hosted at the Buddhist Society (https://bodhicharya-london.org/day-retreats/)
- Sunday 7th December 2025
The day of practice will include sitting and walking meditation, and other mindful movement practices. The day is best suited to anyone with prior experience of meditation practice, and we recommend you should have attended a weekly WCF class before attending.
We ask for donations of £25 to help cover the cost of the room hire. For full details about the retreat see the Kent Chan Group day retreat information pack.
Please contact Stuart (see below) to reserve your place.
Kent Chan Group Monthly half-day retreats (online)
We have paused our Sunday morning online practices, but hope to resume them next year.
Contact Kent Chan Group
Stuart McLeod
- kentchan@westernchanfellowship.org
- Tel 07913 858612
©Western Chan Fellowship CIO 2005,2021-2025. May not be quoted for commercial purposes. Anyone wishing to quote for non-commercial purposes may seek permission from the WCF Secretary.
The articles on this website have been submitted by various authors. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Western Chan Fellowship.
Permalink: https://w-c-f.org/Q41